British liberalism is founded in the battle for religious liberty. But in discarding Christianity, liberalism has gained ascendancy and lost itself in the process

This is an interesting reflection by Tim Farron, former leader of the Liberal Democrats in the United Kingdom. Farron is an evangelical troubled by the illiberalism of those who still call themselves liberals, and he knows the reason:

“When a liberal turns out to be an evangelical Christian, people are surprised or confused. If you are one of those who are surprised and confused, then you are a victim. A victim of liberalism’s comprehensive triumph – where the main loser has been … liberalism.

In discarding Christianity, we kick away the foundations of liberalism and democracy and so we cannot then be surprised when what we call liberalism stops being liberal.”